Canberra, 6 March 1963
AP15. Confidential
Malaysia
You will have Ministerial Press Release 29 of 5th March which followed long and careful consideration by Cabinet.1
In discussions with colleagues or the Government to which you are accredited, you should take the following line:
(a) Malaysia is an imaginative plan for the rapid decolonisation of the former British Territories.
(b) The support of the people of North Borneo and Sarawak has been fully demonstrated by the enquiries of the Cobbold Commission, district council elections, votes in the local legislatures, resolutions of such bodies in the Territories as the Malaysia Solidarity Committee and by the co-operation of a wide range of representative groups in the preparation of the Lansdowne report on the constitutional development of the Territory.
(c) Australia supports Malaysia not only because of its friendship with Malaya but because we believe the new Federation will make a substantial contribution to the stability of the area.
(d) Peace and security in the area depends on good relations between all the nations in the area. We have been disturbed at the recent rise in tension between Malaya and Indonesia. There have been faults on both sides, including damaging and provocative statements which we have urged should cease.
(e) The creation of Malaysia is not our responsibility, but that of the United Kingdom, Malaya and the Territories. We are, however, concerned at various misconceptions about it which have arisen and believe that if these can be dispelled, then some of the hostility to Malaysia will diminish.
(f) These misconceptions include the Indonesian fear that Malaysia is an example of Malayan expansionism, that Malaysia could be a threat to Indonesia since it could be a refuge for rebels anxious to unite Sumatra with Malaya, that it represents a form of encirclement of Indonesia and that it will fall under Communist Chinese domination.
(g) We look forward to co-operation and amity between the three Malayan States, (Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaya).
(h) The Malayan constitution with its disproportionate weighting for the Borneo Territories (15 seats for Singapore as against 40 for the Borneo Territories) will, in fact, do much to prevent a Chinese takeover.
(i) Finally we see this not as a conflict of choice between Malaya and Indonesia. We are friends with both. There is nothing in Malaysia incompatible with this friendship,
(j) If asked about our military obligation for the defence of Malaysia, you should say that this has not been negotiated and avoid specific reference to the nature of our present commitment. You may, if pressed, say that irrespective of legal commitments, Australia would feel a strong moral obligation to assist Malaya if attacked. We do not, at present, believe such an attack is likely.
You should avoid, if possible, discussing the situation in Brunei. If pressed you should make the following points:
(i) Brunei Malays were misled by Azahari and can be won over to support of Malaysia.
(ii) Brunei in any case represents only a very small element which should not be allowed to distract attention from the widespread and genuine support of Malaysia in the Borneo Territories.
[NAA: A1838, 2498/11 part 1]
1 See Document 43.